A 4th Grade Developer Went To TechCrunch Disrupt And She Charmed Everyone
But Alexandra Jordan is no ordinary 4th grader. She's learning how to code and program.
In fact, she already knows how: her app, Super Fun Kid Time - a playdate finder for kids - was presented at TechCrunch's Disrupt this year. Jordan quickly charmed the audience, becoming a fan favorite.
Super Fun Kid Time lets children type in which school they go to, which grade they're in, and which teacher they have, then select a friend from a dropdown list to schedule an outing with.
In honor of the International Day of the Girl - formally recognized by the United Nations on October 11th, 2012 - TechCrunch asked Jordan to write about her experiences as a young developer.
Here are some of the important things she said:
My motivation is to be a great person, to help the world, to make discoveries and to prove that girls and women can do anything. My inspiration is my dad and my family and friends, but also women programmers.
After launch [of Super Fun Kid Time], I am planning on starting a tech club for girls after school. This will be for one hour a week. It will teach other girls to code, because if girls learn to program when they are young they won't be discouraged later.
It is important to have more women in tech because women in the past have been held back. It is important to find their way back despite this. Also women like things made by women. If your company has no women programmers then your product will not contain the ideas of women, and you might not be successful.
You can read Alexandra Jordan's entire post here.